Nightshade by Maryrose Wood

Sixteen-year-old Jessamine Luxton is heartbroken. Her true love, Weed, the strange and intriguing young man who came into her life so suddenly, has disappeared.

Jessamine suspects that her own father, Thomas, may have been involved. Thomas was obsessed with poisons and discovering Weed's secret understanding of dangerous plants.

This suspicion and her own growing expertise with poisons have changed her. She is no longer innocent. So when Jessamine learns that Weed is alive and in danger, she will do whatever it takes to be reunited with him, including killing whoever gets in her way.

The Review

A big thanks to Leanne from the Poison Diaries team for sending me a review copy of this book!

NIGHTSHADE is the continuation of The Poison Diaries series. In this case, I'll try to be as vague as possible in this review since I don't want to give anything away from the previous book. For those readers who have yet to read the first Poison Diaries book, then be sure to check it out when you can because it's well worth the read.

Without going into too much detail concerning the storyline, I'm going to talk about the characters themselves and their personal growth in book two. When it came to Jessamine's character, I found she was far more mature and completely different to the Jessamine you used to know in book one. Her confidence in her own skills was quite a turnaround and I really appreciated the way she handled herself and with the series of events that occured because she's no longer the vulnerable girl. And well . . . our Jessamine has now become a lethal weapon. Meaning literally speaking. As she believes her beloved, Weed, left her when she needed him the most, this then causes her to search for an entirely new identity - explore a darker side to herself. Some readers will be shocked but personally for me I loved her darker side and I'm quite interested to see what's going to happen to her in book three. Now what about dear old Weed? How could I forget him . . . So, what's going on with him? Well, he too has grown a lot as a character and his thoughts are always thinking of Jessamine wherever he is. Poor guy. While there were many reasons behind his own adventures which I won't reveal anything about since I don't want spoil for you guys . . . but you'll come to love him more. But the ending was so . . . mean.

As NIGHTSHADE introduces us to new characters and takes readers all the way through a shocking twisty-turn of an ending (there's a cruel ending by the way), I assure readers that you won't be disappointed in this book. Personally I was surprised by NIGHTSHADE since it's a lighter read but damn I liked it a little more than the first book. Unlike the first book in the series, NIGHTSHADE is much darker, different and the historical-like elements were absolutely perfect for a book like this one. I recommend this sequel to anyone who loves a Maria V. Snyder book or have already read Poison Diaries.

You had me intrigued all the way through until you mentioned Maria Snyder and my interest level shot up by 100% :D You know how to hook a girl, Erin! While I haven't read Poison Diaries yet, I'm loving this transformation in the main character you speak of. It always fascinates me to see the heroine explore her darker side. And ooooh cruel ending? Meeep!

Hmmmm, I actually have a copy of Poison Diaries sitting on my shelf....and it's been there for oh, about 7-8 months. Picked it up from an Angus & Robertson 3 for $10 sale and then never read it. I think you've inspired me to read it Erin!